Best Steelers draft picks after Round 7: Who makes the cut?

The Steelers drafted one of the members of the Steel Curtain and a future GM in the 10th round of the NFL draft

How fortunate were the Steelers to have landed L.C. Greenwood, a stalwart on the famed Steel Curtain, in the 10th round of the NFL draft? I would say we were very fortunate.  Greenwood played 13 seasons for the Steelers, was a 4-time Super Bowl Champion, a 6-time Pro Bowler and a was named All-Pro 2 times.

That’s not too shabby considering Greenwood played his college ball at what is now called Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but at the time Greenwood played there, it was called Arkansas AM&N.  Greenwood lasted until the 10th round of the 1969 draft; Steelers fans are delighted that he did last that long. How Greenwood is not in the Hall of Fame is beyond me and above my pay grade.

Another notable 10th round selection was Merril Hoge, a hard-nosed FB out of Idaho State, who was selected in the 1987 draft.  Hoge played 7 seasons for us and, although he never made a Pro Bowl, he was an integral part of the Steelers offense during his tenure.  Hoge accumulated 3,115 rushing yards, scoring 21 TDs on 819 rushing attempts.

Yet another notable 10th round pick was John Jackson, an offensive tackle drafted in the 1988 draft out of Eastern Kentucky.  Jackson played 10 seasons for the Steelers, starting every game in which he played for 6 seasons.  Like Greenwood, Jackson was a stalwart on the offensive line, protecting the Steelers QBs as well as any LT in Steelers history.  Talk about ‘a steal’.

Last, but certainly not least, is Mike Mayock, the current Las Vegas Raiders GM, was a 10th round pick in the 1981 draft.  Mayock played two seasons in the NFL, but none for the Steelers. So why did he make the cut?  Good question.  It’s not every day that a former draft pick of your favorite team becomes the GM of a team that was your nemesis during the Super Bowl years of the 1970s.

Let’s continue by looking at some notable players drafted in rounds 8 and 9.